WHAT IS A BRUSSELS SPROUT? These tiny members of the cabbage family are grown for their delicious, edible buds! Cultivated in the 16th century in Belgium, they are named after the city which is why even a single sprout is still called a Brussels sprout (named after the city). They were first introduced to the […]
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ARCHAEOLOGY OF PULSES, NUTS & GRAINS – Marrowfat Pea
WHAT IS A MARROWFAT PEA? Also known as mushy peas, this is a popular pulse in English cuisine as well as in Asian snacks. The marrowfat peas is thought to have been introduced from Japan in the early 1900s, These peas are a member of the Maro family (thus earning the nickname marrow). The latter […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF PASTA – Alfabeto (a.k.a. Alphabet)
WHAT IS ALFABETO? Also known as alphabet spaghetti, this tiny pasta is made for soups. It is older then you think, with newspaper articles just after the U.S. Civil War mentioning it. The irony to me is that in Italian they use accents over some of their vowels. So even if an Italian kid gets the […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF MEAT – outside round steak (cow)
WHAT IS AN OUTSIDE ROUND STEAK? This sub-primal cut (larger then a steak and smaller then a side of beef) is a lean and inexpensive cut from the butt and hind legs of a cow. It’s also known as a bottom round, Western Griller or rump steak. If you’ve bought roast beef at a store, […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF BREAD – Damper Loaf
WHAT IS DAMPER LOAF? Also known as bush bread or seedcake, this soda recipe was popular with early Australian settlers. The dough is simple and easy to make. Stockman who herded cattle in remote areas would bake the bread in the ash remnants of their daily campfire. When the damper bread sounded hollow it was […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF MEAT – Iberico Ham (pork)
WHAT IS JAMON IBERICO? Also known as Iberian (southwestern Spain) ham, Jamon Iberico is exclusively from the native black pig. They’re a primitive breed, distinctive for having little hair and hooves that are actually black. With a much larger amount of fat both over and running through the muscles, they are cured for much longer […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF SEAFOOD – Plaice
WHAT IS A PLAICE? A popular fish and chips option in the Mediterranean , the name actually refers to 4 different types of flatfish. Plaice is a derivation of the Greek term platys a.k.a. “broad.” However when born they have a normal shape. They then gradually become flatter and flatter during the first few weeks […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF HERBS & SPICES – Black Sesame Seeds
WHAT ARE BLACK SESAME SEEDS? One of the oldest and most famous ingredients known to man, these seeds come from the tropical fruit pods of the sesamum indicum plant. When the seeds are mature these triangular pods burst open which gave rise to the original expression “open sesame.” The seeds are then hulled (removing the […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF PULSES, NUTS & GRAINS – Alfalfa Sprout
WHAT ARE ALFALFA SPROUTS? Also known as lucerne, these tiny green strands are actually a member of the pea family. These baby shoots of the alfalfa plant are harvested at a young age while still rich in vitamins and minerals. And as the plant grows, the leaves turn bitter making their flavor less desirable. In […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF FRUITS & VEGETABLES – Adirondack Potato
WHAT IS AN ADIRONDACK POTATO? Also known as the Adirondack Blue or Adirondack Red, these tubers are dark brown on the outside. Each of these varieties comes in a beautiful hue of either a purplish blue or red on the inside. And unlike many other starches, this color holds even when roasted. Invented at Cornell […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF PULSES, NUTS & GRAINS – Sugar Snap Peas
WHAT ARE SUGAR SNAP PEAS? Also known as snap, butter or mangetout peas, they are a cross between snow and garden peas. The entire pea, including the pod, is edible despite having a thicker shell then snow peas. Delicious raw or blanched, they have a crunchy texture and sweet flavor. When hulling the sugar snap […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF MEAT – london broil (beef)
WHAT IS A LONDON BROIL? This is actually not a cut of meat but rather a cooking technique for tough cuts of steak. This American creation was invented in Philadelphia during the Great Depression. The current technique evolved over time. A cheap flank steak is marinated and then cooked stove-top to medium rare. When serving […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF SEAFOOD – Haddock
WHAT IS A HADDOCK? Native to the North Atlantic, this cousin of the cod is silver in color . A bottom dwelling fish, it has a long, tapered body with a small mouth and 3 dorsal fins. The upper part of the body can vary in color ranging from grey to black while the lower […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF BREAD – Cuban
WHAT IS CUBAN BREAD? Most similar to soft Italian breads like ciabatta in texture, this square loaf shaped bread has no scoring and uses a small amount of fat and enriched dough. It has a paper thin outer crust and soft, flaky interior. The use of lard however means that cuban bread doesn’t last for […]
We All Scream For Ice Cream
An Historic Treat In 1984 President Ronald Reagan declared July National Ice Cream month. He was the commander in chief who made it official, but executive office ice cream love is nothing new. Thomas Jefferson is often incorrectly credited with bringing ice cream to the United States. The third president certainly served ice cream at […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF PASTA – Rigatoni
WHAT IS RIGATONI? The birth of this legend started long ago with a chef named Toni. Day and night, he struggled to create a new pasta shape in the Italian town of Riga. No that isn’t true, but hey you write over 50 pasta descriptions back to back and see if you don’t get a […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF SEAFOOD – Orange Roughy
WHAT IS AN ORANGE ROUGHY? Also known as slimeheads, this deep sea fish didn’t look or sound that appetizing. With mucous producing canals on top of bony heads and spiky fins, few restaurants were asking for this fish. That is until New Zealand fisherman launched a marketing campaign under the new name orange roughy. Much like the Chilean […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF HERBS & SPICES – Cocoa Powder
WHAT IS COCOA POWDER? The short version is this is what’s left over when you remove most of the cocoa butter (fat) from Theobroma cacao beans. They’re fermented, roasted, dried and ground into a cocoa powder. Higher quality powders will leave a bit more cocoa butter in the mix. There are two types of manufacturing […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF FRUITS & VEGETABLES – Citron
WHAT IS A CITRON? Also known as yuzu, this large, yellow citrus looks like a primitive lemon. Originally from India, it’s thought that Alexander the Great was responsible for the spread of this fruit to the Mediterranean. An evergreen plant, it has a much thicker white pith then most other fruits. The skin is originally […]
ARCHAEOLOGY OF FRUITS & VEGETABLES – Zest
WHAT IS ZEST? It’s the outer layer of skin of any citrus fruit. This ingredient is one of the few words in food that’s used as both a noun and a verb. Officially known as the flavedo or exocarp, this is the most exterior part of the fruit followed by the spongy white pith. While […]